This is part of the risk of being a contractor/freelancer.
If you want the maximum legal protections around getting paid for your work, you need to be an employee.
Beyond that, ultimately it boils down to Robin has not paid for the work performed. The freelancer needs to demand payment from Robin directly, and if he won't pay, file a lawsuit against him if Upwork is not going to help. Will be difficult with Robin apparently being in a different country, and probably not worth it for only $12k, the legal fees and time spent will certainly exceed that amount.
Charge it off as a lesson learned, and a 12k business loss on your taxes.
You could buy a cheaper car, or a cheaper house, or cheaper clothes, and put the difference into an IRA.
Yes some people must spend all their income on food and shelter. And government assistance stupidly penalizes people who try to save. But many people, even lower income people, could save a little. I think they have never been shown what the power of compounding can do over time. It is not intuitive, because the gains in early years are small.
Maybe we should address that problem -- it's one of the best long term ways for anyone to build wealth. Why aren't we educating people about this in school?
This is very much my experience. I have a friend at the office, we had lunch together almost every day, but since WFH started in March 2020 I have barely spoken to him, just a very occasional email. I have physically seen him once. I have also never kept in touch with anyone I worked with at a former employer.
I started lifting weights two years ago. First time I've ever really succeeded in developing an exercise habit in 50+ years. Progress is slow. Every few weeks I can add maybe 5 lbs to a particular lift. Or maybe not. I have no specific goals. But the accumulated progress is remarkable to me. I have a better body now than I did in high school. It's still not "fun" but I do it every other day and rarely miss, and it does give me a sense of satisfaction to complete a workout.
> Do things that make me happy because before you know it life is over.
This is really true, as I've grown older the years go by in what used to feel like months. By averages I've got maybe 25 years left and I'm realizing it will be gone before I know it.
Time passes, whether you do anything with it or not.
If you want the maximum legal protections around getting paid for your work, you need to be an employee.
Beyond that, ultimately it boils down to Robin has not paid for the work performed. The freelancer needs to demand payment from Robin directly, and if he won't pay, file a lawsuit against him if Upwork is not going to help. Will be difficult with Robin apparently being in a different country, and probably not worth it for only $12k, the legal fees and time spent will certainly exceed that amount.
Charge it off as a lesson learned, and a 12k business loss on your taxes.